Erlkönig (Jena)
The Jena Erlkönig is a memorial in Jena .
It stands on the way from Wenigenjena to Kunitz in the Saale floodplain in front of a rock face and is reminiscent of the ballad of the same name by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe . Originally executed as a wooden sculpture by Theodor Wolff, the statue was replaced by a stone figure by Otto Späte in 1891 on behalf of the owner of Thalstein Castle , Wolf von Tümpling .
It is a powerful, larger than life figure of the Erlkönig who, as an old man with a long beard and robe, extends his hand over a pond below. The statue actually carries a sword in its right hand, this was also attached again as part of the last renovation, but strangers removed or destroyed it.
According to a legend, Goethe is said to have learned the story of the Erlkönig from a farmer in the “ Grüne Tanne ” inn and processed it in a poem. The location of the ballad should be identical to the location of the monument; the local landscape with its trees and the fog that often occurs on all floodplains should be recognizable in the poem. Another, meanwhile refuted legend tells of Goethe's ride from Jena to Dornburg and the inspiration of the poet through the rising fog of the hall.
On April 27, 1990, the 0.6 hectare site was placed under protection as a natural monument. The monument has been a designated station on the Saale cycle path since 2004 . The scenic route leads past the Erlkönig monument to Thalstein Castle and on to Kunitz.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Jena, Erlkönig monument - photography: ailing, landscape, travel. In: thomas-lotze.de. October 10, 2013, accessed November 26, 2013 .
Coordinates: 50 ° 56 '29.87 " N , 11 ° 36' 54.94" O